As a woman in tech and the President at Wisetail, I’ve been fielding more and more questions about how we’ve been able to close the gender gap that persists in companies across the tech industry. Thinking back on the early days, when Wisetail was a predominantly male company, and how we’ve grown and evolved to our current state of a nearly equal workforce led me to jot down the following…

It wasn’t about a mandate. It wasn’t altruistic. And it wasn’t about recruiting from an isolated gender pool.

So how did we do it then?

We simply looked for the most qualified, hardest working people we could find. By simply hiring the BEST applicant, we ended up with a 50/50 workforce in an industry known more for treating diversity as a trade secret than something to be celebrated.

Of course, we’re well aware of the societal barriers faced by women in business. But those same barriers also exist for people of color. They exist for distinct groups who’ve been historically marginalized. Barriers of bias and prejudice unfortunately permeate every corner of the world, from the seas to the mountains and from entry level to all the way up to the C-suite.

At Wisetail, we believe in fostering and developing talented individuals, full stop. If you’re talented and motivated, we want you on our team. Gender, race, religion, whether you’re making a career change — all of that is beside the point. We believe that, as an organization, we must tackle the uncomfortable realities of human existence while also pursuing the talented individuals we need to grow as a business. If you’re truly committed to hiring specific skill sets, you’re not only progressive, you’re ensuring the continued success of the very organization that provided the opportunity to enact positive change. Paying it forward, in a way. We recognize that bias exists in today’s world and we’re proud to proactively work against it by employing based on skill.

Women in Tech. Men in Tech. People in Tech.

We’re trying to run the best company we can while also being the best possible people we can be. It’s not easy. We’ve made countless mistakes. And it’s inevitable that we’ll make many more. Despite that, as an organization and as individuals, we must strive to pursue a workplace where the talented rise and to provide the best possible environment to develop motivated talent. It’s a shared commitment amongst us all.

So yes, on International Women’s Day, I’m incredibly proud to lead a tech company comprised of a 49% female workforce. I’m proud not because they’re women like me, but because of the value these women bring to Wisetail each and every day. I’m equally proud of the men at Wisetail and what each of them have to offer. As people we’re in this together and that is something that we can all be proud of regardless of our skin color, ethnicity, politics, or religion.

Cheers to talent, progress, and breaking barriers!